Have any of you shot the 6.5mm 143gr ELD-X bullets for whitetail yet? How are you liking them? I have read mixed reviews. I have a new 6.5 Creedmoor that I'll be hunting with this fall for whitetail, axis, hogs and audad. I'm just wondering how those bullets have done for other folks.
143 gr Hornady ELD-X at 160 yards from a .260 Rem (this is the exit side). I don't own a chronograph but I am guessing around 2,720ish fps MV with my load. It was an obliging standing broadside so the bullet didn't have any real challenges. Did very well at shredding both lungs and exiting. Only bone was a rib on either side. I'm planning on trying the 130 gr Sierra GameChanger this fall.
"They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance." Last words of Gen. Sedgwik
I shoot the 143 ELD_X myself in my 260 Remington (Savage build #2) and they have performed well as far as accuracy... I have not taken an animal with it yet, but I am taking it with me for Mule Deer this year. Check out this link below from Panhandle precision on his real world experience with the ELD-X...Originally Posted by Coastal
http://panhandleprecision.com/hornad...formance-test/
I have been developing 6.5cm load for this years whitetail. Took this hog with shoot the other side ear hole. No exit. Drop in tracks. 85 yards.
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Excellent link! That's the kind of info I was looking for. Thank you.
Agree. Linked article is a good read.
In the ear without even using a bipod,I have been developing 6.5cm load for this years whitetail. Took this hog with shoot the other side ear hole. No exit. Drop in tracks. 85 yards.
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And here i always thought Texas guys always took some kind of a fancy heart shot. Lol
Glad I could help..
There is some good talk about them over on 24 hr campfire as well. A few guys are taking elk without any issues, so I am pretty sure whitetails won't be that much of a problem.
Ultimately, they are similar to Hornady's Interlock bullets, just with an updated copper jacket and redesigned aerodynamics. I have killed a pile of deer with standard Interlocks and SSTs, so I wouldn't hesitate to use them (and will be using them in my new 7-08AI build).
I have shot lots of deer and hogs with eld-x bullets from my 6.5creed to 300wby. They have all performed great for me. From deer and hogs at 40yds with the creed and a muley buck at 890yds with the 212s in my 300win. Everything dropped in their tracks.
Stumpkiller, good luck with the game changers. I tried to run them in my 7saum. Wanted a little heavier bullet for elk. I ran the 165s at 3030fps. Didn't find an elk big enough to try but got a couple deer and lost my first deer ever with a rifle. I don't think they open well at all on deer. I will never send another game changer at an animal. Just my opinion and experience.
Adam
I really think that the competition among bullet companies is the real reason we see so many changes in bullets.
No different than 3 car washes in the same town all just offering a nice clean car.
But they all seem to be doing it for whatever the reason.
Back in the early fifties, it was a 139 gr 6.5 bullet introduced in this country by Norma, which caused the creation of the 6.5x300 Weatherby cartridge and lots of excitement among long range hunters at that time.
It was known to be a very good performer on deer at long ranges, even though it was illegal to use in PA, where much of that type hunting took place. And the reason was it had a metal jacket attracted to a magnet, which the law there still forbids.
Im still using 162 gr Hornady 7mm bullets i bought in the 70s, but that same bullet has seen several changes since, including a considerable drop in the BC #.
One thing hasent changed though, that being where you hit them and how much blood loss it causes.
Not good to hear. The reason I wanted to try the GameChangers was because I wanted a bullet that would open more for lung shock (I try to avoid bones other than ribs). Figured that it would also be a good coyote bullet. We'll see how it goes. My shots are typically 10 yards to 100 yards; though in spots I could reach out to 300. I stick to pretty tight cover.
"They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance." Last words of Gen. Sedgwik
If I didnt want something a bit heavier in my 7saum. Id run the TMKs. I think they would be great for medium sized game and smaller. They flat out shoot in every gun ive put them through. Shot 2 antelope with them in my 22creed last fall. Running the 77gr TMKs at 3636fps. Dropped a doe at 395 and my buck at 486 . I will either shoot eld-x or TMKs for medium game or smaller. Very happy with the results.
Adam
I'm not a fan of the concept of using target bullets on game over 50 lbs. But if you are getting results I can't argue with that.
Whitetail may not take much bullet, but they do take a lot of killing. I was very pleased with the 143 gr ELD-x. No matter what I an shooting I wait for a "sure" shot and kill. I've taken over a dozen with a lead round ball from a traditional muzzleloader. No worse ballistic coefficient than a round ball. But I've had bucks drop without taking a step.
Same with a bow. I shoot 1960's recurves, wood arrows, and a broadhead manufactured in 1960 (Mowoc Dot) and a well placed 45 ft lb energy arrow will kill a deer in seven seconds. That's actually pretty scary for those of us who play with sharp things.
"They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance." Last words of Gen. Sedgwik
Well there you go, that’s my whole point.
It’s not like lots of game hasen’t been being taken over many years before all the new bullets which just keep coming.
Prior to losing his life in the 70s, when questioned about match bullets, Joyce Hornady stated that all his bullets were suitable for hunting.
And if you would question Sierra and Berger, you would get the same type answer.
Problem becomes the distance they are sometimes used, and the lack of velocity needed to make any bullet perform well.
Worst performance I ever had from a jacketed bullet was in a 7.62 x 54R using Brown Bear 180 gr JSP (Russian mfg). In two consecutive days I killed a buck and a doe each day; both at first light. It was the first year in over a century that Tioga County, NY allowed a rifle season for whitetail and that was the only centerfire rifle I had at the time large enough (IMO) for deer.
I sat in cover with my back to a swamp surrounded with thick milli-flori rose where I could watch a corner of a field. Both deer stepped out of the thicket about 10 yards from the stump I was sitting on (to my right, because Murphy's Law never allows them to come in over my left shoulder that would mean less contortions and twisting). Both deer were hit with a double-lung broadside. Both deer took off running and did a 270 degree turn and, after running 200 yards, piled up when headed back into the thick stuff maybe 25 yards from where I was sitting. Neither bullet expanded at all. Both looked like they were stabbed with a 1/2" sharp stick. So, was that good bullet performance? There was full penetration, LOTS of blood from entrance/exit wounds, sufficient tissue and lung damage to kill the deer in seconds.
Obviously a bullet designed for 600 lb Eurasian Brown Bear from a sensible distance may not be the best choice for almost muzzle close 150 to 200 lb deer. So speed isn't always the answer.
The single ELD-x I did use was a 180 lb field-dressed whitetail broadside (slightly angled away) at 160 yards. Entered center lungs just behind & below the scapula (my preferred shot for the most meat). Full penetration and some brass bits in a mush of lung pudding and the off-side chest cavity, so I am assuming the bullet opened well and violently. Exit wound about 1-1/2". Deer ran for about three seconds and piled up. HArdly an exhaustive study. But for Coastal's original question: use the ELD-x without more than normal concern. The local whitetail deer never read ballistic tables or reviews, but they do try their best not to give you a slow and comfortable shooting opportunity. Practice lots, know your load, and do what you can to gain an advantage. Then aim carefully.
"They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance." Last words of Gen. Sedgwik
Well even with good solid hits, some just take a little longer to die than others, and it seems to me even more so after they have already been hit.
By and large lung/heart hits wont put them right down. On a steep side hill if they turn direction and run downhill its a good indicator of a lung hit, and they might run a 100 yds or more downhill before piling up.
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